Mid Rise Skinny Ginger Jeans in Black; March's #wardrobuilder part 2

Last week I posted my progress on my project for this month's #wardrobebuilder. It's not often that I spread my make over two posts, but it seemed appropriate given the amount of prep work that was going into trying to make sure that these jeans turned out really well. You can also see that I've been heavily researching successful jeans making from my '5 tips for sewing your first pair of jeans'. I've been taking it slow and steady and am pretty pleased with what I've ended up with now.

I love these! I can't wait to wear them everywhere. They are comfortable and definitely fill a gap in my wardrobe. The point of the #wardrobebuilder project was to create clothes that I will be able to wear frequently, and I think these definitely fit the brief. They are even the perfect size to wear with heels and with flats, which never happens for me! I can't say these were easy at all, but I was surprised at how manageable they were to make. I am particularly thrilled with the fit of these jeans and have no complaints. (I know they look a bit wrinkled from the odd way I'm standing here - they do look better in real life, honestly!). More details on sizing in my previous post here.

I'm particularly proud of conquering all the pocket detailing, and was almost going to leave off the coin pocket as it might have been too hard, but glad I didn't now. I have continued to avoid topstitching ugliness with matching thread, and my next step will have to be to try a pair of jeans with contrasting thread. I will be investing in en edgestitch foot ahead of this though to make sure it looks super neat. When I was making these jeans I set up my overlocker and sewing machine next to each other as there was a lot of moving from one to the other. Usually I try to sew as much as possible, then do a bulk serge but with the complexity of construction needed to take each step a little slower. This was largely successful, though I did end up sewing too far at one point so the inside seams of the jeans are not topstitched.

I was a little wary of installing jeans hardware to start with. I bought the zip from my local John Lewis haberdashery, having had a little compare in the store. The instructions give zip requirements for each view, but I was making a mid-rise pair which was slightly different. In the end I used the length of zip for View A (low rise) because I was making a smaller size and find most things come up big on me. Having had a first go at installing a button on my Mia jeans, I used the same pack for this pair of black jeans. I practised the buttonhole on a few pieces of leftover denim before I went to it on my Gingers! I did wimp out on the rivets though. I bought a set of Prym silver rivets, but after having tested them out on some left over samples, I thought the posts were going to be too long. I didn't feel confident in altering these and installing them (what with my jeans being pretty much finished and looking good!) so left them out entirely. This will be the next step that needs conquering for future jeans, as well as the contrast topstitching.

I think the tips included throughout in the instructions really help to construct a good pair or jeans. There is a lot of advice on how to face the waistband as well as a great guide to placing the back pockets in the sewalong. The fabric was a good choice and I'm glad I found it as it definitely adds to the success of these jeans. It stretches but keeps everything in tightly enough still and is comfortable too (more on where I sourced it here). I'll be interested to see how this fabric hold up after a few more washes and wears out, whether it retains shape or begins to slacken.

I don't know if the pocket stay is effective in tummy tucking, but I definitely like having the contrast lining panels. It's one of those things that doesn't get seen by anyone, but is one of those nerdy things that dressmakers love...a little bit of something crafted really well, just for you.



I have noticed that the zip fly pokes out a little at times. I imagine this means the jeans are slightly too tight, but overall it's not really an issue so I'm happy to let it go this time. I think this might be a pattern feature as the sewalong does mention how to set it in further.

Would I recommend this pattern? Most definitely. I think that this is accessible for beginners due to the significant level of support available specifically for this pattern (free and paid for). At the moment I have nothing that I'm not sure about or do not like so that must be a good sign.